Eutopia Cafe

Kaiwaka is a little town that people pass through on their way from Aukland to the North Shore. It’s a nice halfway point for longhaul buses to give passengers a snack and toilet break. One man dreamt of making it more than that. He built a restaurant marked by domed ceilings, fairies, and dwarves called Eutopia Cafe. It wasn’t hard to get business with such an interesting building. But over time, the maintenance grew more and more difficult. It fell into disrepair and went on the market.

Roadside view of Eutopia Cafe under construction.

The Lord and Lady of the Kiwi Castle couldn’t bear to see their town stamped with this reminder of dreams gone awry. They bought the building in 2015 and began renovation. They were determined not to cut corners, and all the more so considering that there are almost no corners in the building. Each task was done with the utmost of care. The domed rooftops were reinforced with a proper gutter system, fragile windowframes got replaced by sturdy custom-built shapes, the floor received a personalized mosaic touch (well-placed to prevent slipping) and the walls were coated in hardweathering paint many times before being painted with an artistic finish.

Open air courtyard with the entrance on right and kitchen to the left.Painted walls, ceiling skylights, and customized windows.Each seating area alcove has a different theme.

The original dream of the Eutopia Cafe is being kept alive, only now with more chance of remaining alive. Fancy a cuppa on your next journey up north of Auckland? They estimate reopening for the fall of 2017.